]]>What was a foregone conclusion all winter became official Tuesday with the Orioles naming right-handed pitcher Chris Tillman as their Opening Day starter.

The 26-year-old will take the ball against the Tampa Bay Rays next Monday to become the first Orioles pitcher to start consecutive openers since Jeremy Guthrie in 2008 and 2009. Tillman went 13-6 with a 3.34 ERA in 34 starts spanning 207 1/3 innings last season to further solidify his standing as the staff ace.

His strong work also prompted manager Buck Showalter to start the 2013 All-Star selection in the opening game of the American League Division Series as well as Game 1 of the AL Championship Series last October. Tillman is just one of 12 pitchers in club history to start more than one season opener for the Orioles.

Showalter has already said that lefty Wei-Yin Chen and right-hander Miguel Gonzalez will receive starts in the opening series against the Rays.

Tillman will be opposed by Tampa Bay right-hander Chris Archer, who is replacing the injured Alex Cobb. Archer will be the first pitcher besides David Price or James Shields to start an opener for Tampa Bay since 2007.

]]>http://wnst.net/baltimore-orioles/orioles-officially-name-tillman-as-opening-day-starter/feed/02015 Orioles preview: Everth Cabrerahttp://wnst.net/baltimore-orioles/2015-orioles-preview-everth-cabrera/
http://wnst.net/baltimore-orioles/2015-orioles-preview-everth-cabrera/#commentsTue, 31 Mar 2015 02:09:37 +0000http://wnst.net/?p=286417Luke Jones will take a look at a member of the 2015 Orioles every day ahead of their April 6 opener.

Why to be impressed: Before the Biogenesis scandal in 2013, Cabrera was in the midst of a superb season in which he posted a .736 on-base plus slugging percentage and was named to his first All-Star Game. Cabrera has stolen 99 bases in 300 games over the last three seasons, bringing some much-needed speed to the Baltimore roster for the 2015 season.

Why to be concerned: Beyond the 50-game suspension in 2013, Cabrera has dealt with a number of injuries and was limited to just 90 games a year ago. When he did play, the switch-hitting infielder posted an anemic .572 OPS and collected only 17 extra-base hits in 391 plate appearances. Manager Buck Showalter would like to see the veteran shortstop become a utility player, but he has all of 12 career games at second base and just one at third base.

2015 outlook: With J.J. Hardy expected to begin the season on the 15-day disabled list, Cabrera is now all but guaranteed to make the 25-man roster and should have an opportunity to see time at shortstop along with Ryan Flaherty. His speed and defense can be assets to the roster, but he will need to show he’s more like the player he was in 2013 than last year in order to stick on the roster once Hardy returns. If he’s healthy, a .640 OPS seems reasonable along with 15 stolen bases in a part-time role.

]]>It appears the Orioles will be without a second former All-Star selection for Opening Day as shortstop J.J. Hardy is likely to go to the 15-day disabled list with a left shoulder injury.

A magnetic resonance angiogram Monday showed a subscapularis strain that is expected to keep the 32-year-old sidelined from baseball activities for 10 days, according to manager Buck Showalter. However, the injury is not expected to keep the three-time Gold Glove winner out for long as he could return shortly after his first day of eligibility on April 11.

The veteran infielder injured his left shoulder diving for a ground ball on Friday, but told reporters Monday morning that he was feeling much better and hoped to be ready for the season opener.

Hardy is the second starting position player who won’t be ready for the start of the year as it remains unclear when catcher Matt Wieters will be ready to return to action after he was shut down with right elbow tendinitis on March 18.

With Hardy unavailable for the start of the season, the Orioles will likely keep both Ryan Flaherty and Everth Cabrera on the 25-man roster as either would be an option to fill in at shortstop. It was previously believed that only one would have a spot on the roster to begin the season.

In 30 at-bats this spring, Hardy was hitting .233 with two doubles and three runs batted in.

Only a couple 25-man roster spots remain up for grabs as the Orioles are a week away from Opening Day and the start of the 2015 season.

Manager Buck Showalter frequently warns against being fooled by a player’s performance in March, but a few individuals have made strong statements to help Baltimore defend its 2014 American League East title. As we’ve learned throughout the Showalter era, roster flexibility is a must, so it’s critical to remember which players have minor-league options that could impact their standing on the big-league roster at any given time.

Below is my final projection for how the 25-man roster comes together this week. The numbers in parentheses indicate the total number projected on the roster at that given position.

PITCHERS (12 with starting pitchers underlined)IN: Brad Brach, Zach Britton, Wei-Yin Chen, Kevin Gausman, Miguel Gonzalez, Tommy Hunter, Ubaldo Jimenez, Bud Norris, Darren O’Day, Chris Tillman, Logan Verrett (Rule 5 pick), Wesley WrightTRADED: Brian MatuszDESIGNATED FOR ASSIGNMENT/OUTRIGHTED: Ryan WebbOPTIONED: T.J. McFarlandSENT BACK TO ORIGINAL CLUB: Jason Garcia (Rule 5 pick)Skinny: Since Showalter hinted at Gausman being used in relief last week, I’ll predict the Orioles send him to the bullpen, which is risky if you want him to be stretched out enough to move into the rotation if another starter falters. With Gausman in the pen, Webb will be designated for assignment and likely clear waivers because of his $2.75 million salary for 2015. Though they shouldn’t expect a big return, I’ll predict the Orioles finally pull the trigger on trading Matusz to clear payroll and to open another spot in the bullpen. As Rule 5 picks, Verrett and Garcia have created tough decisions as both have pitched well this spring. With Verrett being older and more polished, my guess is the Orioles will attempt to use him out of the bullpen if they can’t work out a trade with the New York Mets to keep him in the organization. However, it will be very difficult trying to carry him all year if the Orioles hope to use their trademark roster flexibility.

CATCHERS (2)IN: Caleb Joseph, Ryan LavarnwayDISABLED LIST: Matt WietersOPTIONED: Steve Clevenger (on roster for Opening Day only) Skinny: Joseph will enter the season as the starting catcher with Wieters still on the mend from last year’s Tommy John surgery, but the battle for the backup job is down to Lavarnway and Clevenger after J.P. Arencibia was reassigned to minor-league camp on Monday. Clevenger would make more sense on the surface since he’s already on the 40-man roster, but my gut says the Orioles prefer Lavarnway’s defense and they’ll add him to the roster to back up Joseph until Wieters is ready to return.

INFIELDERS (6)IN: Everth Cabrera, Chris Davis (suspended for Opening Day), Ryan Flaherty, Manny Machado, Jimmy Paredes, Jonathan SchoopDISABLED LIST: J.J. HardySkinny: The Orioles have mentioned on a number of occasions that the veteran Cabrera has a remaining option as they’ve attempted to make him a super utility player this spring, even putting him in the outfield. Before Hardy’s injury to his left shoulder, it would have made sense to give Cabrera a few weeks to play all over the diamond at Triple-A Norfolk to get more comfortable defensively after spending most of his career at shortstop. Either way, Flaherty’s status as the primary utility man appears to be in jeopardy with Cabrera bringing some much-needed speed to the table. Entering Monday with a 1.069 on-base plus slugging percentage, Paredes has hit his way onto the roster despite his defensive limitations.

(Editor’s note: Hardy’s test results Monday revealed he would begin the season on the disabled list, which moved Cabrera to the 25-man roster in his place.)

OUTFIELDERS (5)IN: Alejandro De Aza, Adam Jones, Steve Pearce, Travis Snider, Delmon YoungDISABLED LIST: David LoughSENT TO TRIPLE-A NORFOLK: Nolan Reimold Skinny: With Lough’s hamstring and back issues continuing to linger and the speedy outfielder on shaky roster footing anyway, it only makes sense for the Orioles to put him on the 15-day disabled list to begin the season as De Aza would be back up center field in a pinch. Entering Monday with a .413 on-base percentage this spring, Reimold has put himself back on the radar as a possible option in the outfield and will be one to watch closely at Norfolk in the coming weeks.

]]>http://wnst.net/baltimore-orioles/projecting-the-2015-orioles-roster/feed/0Orioles make three more cuts from spring traininghttp://wnst.net/baltimore-orioles/orioles-make-three-more-cuts-from-spring-training/
http://wnst.net/baltimore-orioles/orioles-make-three-more-cuts-from-spring-training/#commentsMon, 30 Mar 2015 13:52:08 +0000http://wnst.net/?p=286392PRESS RELEASE The Orioles announced Sunday that they have reassigned outfielder Dariel Alvarez, infielder Chris Parmelee, and right-handed pitcher Chaz Roe to minor league camp. With these moves, the Orioles now have 37 players at Major League Spring Training, including five non-roster invitees.